What should you do if you hate your art project?
At some point, we all have this experience. You’re working on a drawing or painting, you feel energized and excited, and then all of a sudden… Boom! You say to yourself, “I hate this. Why am I suddenly feeling weird about this project? Maybe I’m just no good at art…” It’s this moment when it is easiest to quit, walk away, give up altogether.
It’s not you, and it’s not because you have lost your ability to create art.
I’ve found this often stems from not taking enough breaks, which leads to burnout, or from rushing the process and therefore skipping key foundational steps.
Or perhaps you are struggling to find inspiration and getting started?
The Solution
When you find yourself in this rut, where you’ve lost motivation and feel like chucking your art out the window, take a deep breath and take a break. Go outside, take a long walk, grab a drink. Allow yourself to rest mentally and visually. When you are feeling ready to get back in there, it is time to evaluate and ask yourself some key questions:
- What exactly don’t you like about how your project is turning out?
- Take the time to look over your drawing, painting, mosaic, or whatever medium you are working with and really break down each part to figure out, with fresh eyes, what is working and what isn’t.
- If you are lacking inspiration, it is time to rekindle the magic found in everyday life and the things you love.
Moments like these are why I created this free Art Evaluation Checklist, designed to help you break through creative barriers. Each question is there to remind you of the often-overlooked basic steps and to provide suggestions to help you get back to making art as quickly as possible.
It’s easy to forget certain things or be so eager to rush to the finish line that we lose sight of what helps our drawings and paintings turn out the way we want, and then there are times when something doesn’t look or feel right, but you can’t quite put your finger on it.
This is based on real-world experience, not AI!
Free Art Evaluation Checklist
Note: This is version III, the most recent version. I update the checklist as I receive feedback from other working artists.
If you find this helpful, please share the link to this page with friends, family, and colleagues!
What did I miss? Is there anything else you would add? Leave me a comment below!
